Feedback 2/5: Name that port

February 04, 2011

A port by several names …

• Gary: The article on the future of the local ports was interesting and informative. I do have a few questions after reading it. The article mentions both the "Port of Hampton Roads" and the "Port of Virginia," seemingly interchangeably; do these terms refer to the same thing?

It also mentions that "cargo growth at the Port of Virginia lagged competing ports on the East Coast" but gives no indication of why.

Another thing that piqued my interest was the mention of the pursuit of a pact with the Brazilian firms planning to export millions of tons of wood pulp to the US. It would be very interesting to know whether this export would contribute to the ongoing decimation of tropical rainforests or if it will be grown and harvested in sustainable ways.

Editor: Thanks to Peter Frost, who covers the Port of Virginia/Hampton Roads. He says the Port of Virginia refers to all of the state-owned container terminals (mostly in Hampton Roads, but the Inland Port container-handling facility is also included). The Port of Hampton Roads, meanwhile, refers to the physical port – all the marine-handling facilities in Hampton Roads, including bulk, oil, coal and other terminals. (We do use them somewhat interchangeably, if it's clear we're dealing with one type of cargo – namely containerized cargo.)

As to why the port lagged competing ports, there are a variety of factors that differ with each competitor. For example the Port of Charleston, S.C., suffered a much deeper decline in the bear markets of 2008 and 2009, so it was bound to post a higher percentage rebound. The Port of Savannah, Ga., on the other hand, is growing like gangbusters and has been for the last five years because of a number of reasons, one of which is its ability to offer tax incentives and other perks for companies that are building distribution centers in the region.

Finally, the wood pulp would be harvested from eucalyptus trees, which reach harvesting maturity in about 7 to 8 years in the warmer climate of Brazil. It grows quickly, in other words, and they replace what they cut, only to harvest it again in another 7 to 8 years.